The present invention relates to a video game system having a game supplier and a plurality of terminal devices each connected to the game supplier through a transmission line and having a plurality of video game units.
Of various video game units installed in an amusement facility, some have memory devices such as a RAM and ROM wherein a video game program played on the game unit is stored. By setting another memory device, or by changing the program stored therein, various games can be played on the same unit.
In order to play a game on one of these units, the player inserts coins, bills or token money therein. While the management of the amusement facility makes a profit from the charge, a certain percentage thereof must be paid to the game supplier as a charge for using the game program.
Namely, the personnel of the game supplier periodically visits the amusement facilities to count the charge of each game unit or of each game program stored in the game unit. The personnel further calculates the game program charge and collects the charge.
As described above, since the calculation and collecting of the charge must be done where the game units are provided, these operations are quite troublesome, particularly in the case where the amusement facilities are located distant from the game supplier, or the facilities and the game units are located distant from one another. Moreover, there may be an error in calculation, or there may even been a fraud, thereby resulting in trouble between the game supplier and the user of the game programs.